Amy Bockerstette to Be 1st Athlete With Down Syndrome to Compete for Collegiate Title

Amy Bockerstette, a 22-year-old golfer for Paradise Valley Community College, will become the first collegiate athlete with Down syndrome to compete for a national title when she participates in the NJCAA national championships May 10-13 in Florida, per the Associated Press.

Bockerstette was also the first student-athlete with Down syndrome to receive an athletic scholarship.

She became an instant sensation in 2019 when she paired with Gary Woodland on the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale ahead of the Phoenix Open. Bockerstette impressed with a nice chip out of the sand and an eight-foot putt for par. 

Per the AP, "Bockerstette and her family created the I Got This Foundation in 2019 to provide golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

"We want to use Amy's celebrity to make other people's lives better, most immediately those with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities but, more broadly, anyone who sees value in Amy's achievement in their lives," her father, Joe Bockerstette, told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN in 2020.

The NJCAA championships are being held in Ormond Beach at Plantation Bay Golf and Country Club.